At Bertram's Hotel

A Miss Marple Mystery

Jane Marple takes a holiday at Bertram's Hotel in London for a much-needed rest and to relive the happy memories of sojourns there during her youth. The hotel is famous for fully preserving its Edwardian atmosphere - from the proper staff to the elderly guests who frequent the tearoom. The décor is well appointed, and the service is impeccable.

But with her keen powers of observation, Miss Marple quickly realizes all is not as it seems. The hotel is too good to be true - it's actually a façade for a much more sinister business. Can Miss Marple help Scotland Yard uncover the truth beneath the web of lies surrounding this historic hotel?

Comment

I very much enjoyed this, reading it between innings at a baseball game, actually. The mystery itself did not come into play until quite a ways into the book, but that didn't matter. The suspense of knowing *something* was going to happen but not seeing it coming was quite enough to make this story interesting. Overall, I found it to be a slower paced - but still wonderful - story.

I love this book, it is one of my faves. I like the characters so much and they are very unique, the way that they think. I liked the end so much! I tried to guess who did it, but as usual my ideas were incorrect, and as usual I was stunned at the end. I like Miss Marple so much - she is less secretive than Poirot and she gives some ideas about what she's thinking, but I still love Poirot more because he is very funny. The end was unpredictable and I give this book 6.5/10.
- @rahmamawlood of the Teen Review Board at the Hamilton Public Library

EuSei
Sep 22, 2014

You will read very little about Miss Marple, for her appearances are very few. Good book with an ending that has a silly moment and a very, very interesting grand finale!

A quiet select hotel with an excellent Mayfair location, Bertram’s Hotel has been in business for many years. It’s like a small slice of Edwardian London and it’s appeal is growing among American tourists as well as the older clientele that it has been serving for generations. Offering the perfect English tea, glowing coal fires, quiet studies, and impeccable staff, Bertram’s seems too good to be true.

Miss Jane Marple is enjoying her stay at Bertram‘s, as usual she sits quietly in a corner, knitting and sipping her tea and observing all the comings and goings. Yes, things aren’t all what they seem at this exclusive hotel. From a missing clergyman, to a young impressionable heiress, and a flamboyant woman who lives her life on the gossip pages, Miss Marple has a lot to ponder upon.

Another excellent Agatha Christie mystery story where the mystery isn’t nearly as important as the atmosphere or the characters. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Bertram’s Hotel.

hermlou
Apr 09, 2010

Miss Marple stays at Bertram's Hotel, a classy place in London for the wealthy. She notices some strange happenings and reports them to Chief Inspector Davy when he is called in after a murder. Cast includes a forgetful clergyman, a bigamist, a young heiress, and a race car driver. Christie pulls them all together in a clever plot so that they create a logical conclusion. Delightful!